What Are the Serving Sizes on Keurig Coffee Makers?

While different models of Keurig coffee makers will have different options for cup sizes, they all have one thing in common–the buttons you press to brew a cup of coffee have pictures of what sort of cup you should put under there, but sometimes it’s hard to guess if an odd-shaped mug will hold the volume of coffee that’s about to be brewed.

How can you avoid overflows or half-empty mugs? Use this handy guide to understand the four most common Keurig coffee maker brew options. While the more upscale models will offer three or four of these, some of the models will offer only one or two. Keep that in mind as you determine which options you have available on your Keurig coffee maker.

6oz – This will brew the most intense cup of coffee. While it is still designed to fill a normal sized coffee mug (the standard size you get for free at conventions and have stuffed all the way to the back of your cupboards) it won’t fill it all the way up. This is a particularly useful setting if you like to have extra cream or sugar in your coffee but don’t want to lose an excessive amount of flavor.

8oz – This is a normal cup of coffee. It will be moderately strong and fill a normal sized coffee mug up to the top, with a little room for a tub or two of creamer.

10oz – This will overflow a normal size coffee mug. Beware. Best suited for slightly larger mugs or small travel mugs, this setting is also good if you’re not a fan of extremely robust coffee. There will still be a strong flavor, but it will be noticeably less strong than the previous two settings.

12oz – This size is best suited to extremely large mugs (such as the taller kind commonly for sale at coffee shops) or travel mugs.

Keep this guide in mind as you shop for or use your own Keurig coffee makers. Knowing what those little flashing buttons really mean can help you avoid spills or underfill your favorite mug.